n Earthship is constructed of three exterior walls(west, north, and east, in the northern
hemisphere; west, south, and east in the southern hemisphere), of used
automobile tiresrammed or
compacted with 300-400 pounds of soil, and stacked, bricklike, to a
height of 8 feet or so. The floor plan of an Earthship averages about 1700
square feet (SF) or 160 square meters (SM). Interior plumbingwalls are traditionally-framed and the
remaining walls are most often constructed of salvaged aluminum drink cansor glass bottlesplaced in concrete. The houses are large and
feel organic in their form.

In most Earthships, there is a slanted glass greenhouseon the south face of the structurewhich opens to the main body of the house. Due
to the overheating this causes, in the newest models, the greenhouse - which
now has nearly vertical or true vertical windows- is separated from the main body of the house
with a wall of windows and doors.
The greenhouse hallway between the outside window wall and the interior window
wall is used for growing plantsand vegetables year-round and it is intended
to perform the function of a solar thermal battery.

The metal panel roofcollects rainwaterand an underground piping system funnels it to
cisternsusually located
in the sloped earth bermbehind the
house on the north. The water is filtered and pressurized to provide running
water for sinks, showers, and bathsin a system called a Water Organizing Module.
If the water is stored for long periods of time, it is treated to prevent
microbial growth. Greywaterfrom sinks and showers is cleaned via a grease
trapand delivered to interior planters, and then to toilets. Water
is then moved outside to a septictank or a blackwaterbotanical wastetreatment cell and then, if required by Code(most often it is), to a septic field.

In the Earthship concept, photovoltaicpanels and/or small windturbines store enough energy to supply all the
houses’ power needs. In principal, the Earthship’s main heatingsource is the sun, captured via the greenhouseon the south face of the structure, and coolingis provided by natural ventilation. A bermon the north side of the structure is intended
to provide thermal improvement, helping to maintain the Earthship at or near a
comfortable inner-earth temperaturenear 58 degrees. A recent addition to the
model - long vent tubes passing through the berm - are intended to bring fresh
air into the structure to improve occupant comfort. These passively-inspired design
techniques sometimes work, and sometimes do not… requiring additional heating
and/or cooling depending on location… which we will explain in some detail in
later sections.

According to the Earthship
website and literature, Earthships are sustainable, use recycled materials,
will work anywhere in the world, and will give us everything we need to
survive. They also aim to be the most adaptable, affordable, fastest, and
easiest to build building in the world, and they will give you the best resale
value of any other options available.

Self-sustainability: you can grow veggies
inside, use and reuse water, and minimize impact on the environment.

Ease of construction: in principle, anyone can
build an Earthship. If you can pound dirt, you can do it.

“Recycling”: some of the materials used come
from wasteproducts
that would otherwise fill up a landfill, or are made from recycled materials.

Natural light: these buildings have it in
abundance.

Not all of
these pros are as pro as they seem. As we come to learn more about what the
underlying processes are, maybe not. What follows through the end of this
chapter may be considered the Earthship’s cons.

We should mention here that many of the titles that follow
are in quotes. When that happens it is because we are quoting the various
theories presented in the Earthship films, website, and literature. When you
see something in italics, it is a direct quote from the listed source. Also,
because this book is written from the point of view of a conversation between
friends, we use the term “you” when what we are talking about is something we
cannot help you with here, and “we“ when it is something this book can help you
with or is an approach we take in our offices.

I use “I” when sharing something from my own life.

Please also note that because many of the Earthships are in
Taos, we talk about the Taos climatein detail. We do that because we want to show
you how the design works in this climate, so you know what to look for in your
area. But we focus on helping out most… in the place we know best.

The term mythology used in reference to a type of building
may seem surprising. But it is really not so far of a stretch. The Earthship is
just that – a building ideal based on beliefs and assumptions that are passed
on by the use of traditional storytelling elements.

Mike Reynolds and Earthship Biotecture have used
traditional storytelling in the form of sharing both established and new myths
to illustrate their story to their fans since the beginning of their efforts to
birth Earthships into the world. These stories have become part of the mythos
of Earthships worldwide.

Reynolds says in Garbage
Warrior that his hero is the Biblical character Noah, a reiteration of the story Earthship
Volume 1 opens with: the story of Noah and the Ark. In the relating of the
story, the book talks about “the fact” that Noah saw the clouds before the
great flood and knew he needed to build a ship before the coming deluge.

This is relevant, when we start to ask questions about how
the Earthships work. Because, like the Noah story, the factuality of which has
been debated since that story was written down hundreds and maybe even
thousands of years after it happened, if it happened… what IS – how the Earthships
work and if the buildings do what they aspire to – and the ideals they are
inspired to make happen … are not yet in agreement.

But that is the beauty of inspiration: it leads to
salvation. At least, in the Noah story it does. Hopefully, eventually, the Earthships
and other sustainably designed buildings will help us to achieve a better
lifestyle than that which we have been offered.

And that is the whole
point of having an ideal, and a story, isn’t it?